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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103148">something (g)old, something new</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsCalculation/pseuds/MrsCalculation'>MrsCalculation</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, post-retirement</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:42:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,225</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103148</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsCalculation/pseuds/MrsCalculation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuuri had planned his retirement so that his last competition would be in Japan. It was perfect: he and Viktor could easily fly to Hasetsu directly from the competition to celebrate the end of Yuuri's competitive career among family and friends.</p><p>(And perhaps, just maybe, and entirely without Yuuri’s knowledge, Viktor has enlisted Phichit’s help in planning a surprise retirement celebration for Yuuri, but that's neither here nor there... Though, of course, a last minute complication leaves Viktor on a flight to Saint Petersburg the night before they're all supposed to leave for Hasetsu, leaving Phichit with one mopey Yuuri to distract.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katsuki Yuuri &amp; Katsuki Yuuri's Family, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Phichit Chulanont &amp; Katsuki Yuuri, Phichit Chulanont &amp; Victor Nikiforov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Holidays!!! on Ice (2020)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>something (g)old, something new</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vilchen/gifts">Vilchen</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy holiday exchange to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vilchen/pseuds/Vilchen">Vilchen</a>!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Yuuri.”</p><p>“Nnnh.”</p><p>“Yuuuuuuuri!”</p><p>“<em>Nnnnnh</em>.”</p><p>“Oh my god, Yuuri,” Phichit says, flipping up from where he’s been napping on Yuuri’s childhood bed since their flight got in this morning. “Stop moping!”</p><p>“I am not <em> moping</em>, Phichit-kun,” Yuuri says, wiggling his way up from his spot on the floor just in time to take a pillow to the face. Oops. How was Phichit supposed to know he was going to move for the first time in an hour? “I’m just jetlagged.”</p><p>“From a two-hour fight? Within the same country?” Yuuri looks incredibly unimpressed, but with his glasses askew and his hair sticking up every direction, it’s endearing more than anything. “Right. Listen, he said the apartment is fine, so he’ll be here in a few days, okay? Take some you time before he gets back. When was the last time you had a few days to yourself?”</p><p>“Mmph.” Yuuri flops back down, pushing his hands under his glasses to rub his eyes. His sweatshirt pulls up as he does, a small strip of his stomach showing through. “It’s been while. I just wasn’t expecting him to have to leave. He was really looking forward to coming back.”</p><p>Oh, Phichit knows. When Viktor had pulled him aside at the hotel at Worlds two weeks prior to let him know of an inconvenient jeweler mix-up, Phichit had never been more grateful to be on Viktor Nikiforov’s good side.</p><p>“Trust me, I know,” Phichit says as he pushes himself to standing and stretches dramatically. Yuuri doesn’t know the real reason Viktor had to leave, and Phichit is not about to ruin the surprise. Instead he turns to push open the curtains, and Yuuri groans as Phichit takes in mid-afternoon Hasetsu. “But while we have the time, let’s use it! I’ve never been here during cherry blossom season before. I want to get pictures! Help me find the best spots!”</p><p>Yuuri removes a hand from one eye, the unimpressed stare from earlier returning, but Phichit just bats his eyelashes. “Phichit-kun,” he says evenly, steadier than Phichit has heard him in weeks, “you have terrible allergies. I thought you were going to blow your entire brain into a tissue before your short program. I can’t take you cherry blossom seeing unless I want your death on my hands.”</p><p>As true as that may be, Phichit isn’t going to let Yuuri just mope alone. “I’ll be fine!” Phichit says. “I’ve got Claritin, I’ve got eye drops, and I’ve got masks. Don’t even worry about me!”</p><p>Yuuri still looks skeptical, but he stands up anyway. Phichit counts that as a win.</p><hr/><p>He may be a professional at getting the best photo in the worst circumstances, but even Phichit can only look so cute mid-violent sneeze, and Yuuri’s poor photography skills don’t make it much better. Still, Yuuri’s laughed a few times on their outing, so even if his most genuine fit of giggles came from a particularly cross-eyed photo of Phichit pre-sneeze, Phichit will count it as a win. He’ll even ramp up the scrunched noses and sniffles if it serves to distract from their current predicament.</p><p><em> Predicament </em> being that Phichit and Yuuri are in Hasetsu for his post-retirement retreat without Viktor.</p><p>Phichit glances up at Yuuri where he’s leaning on the railing, head titled slightly. His smile is delicate, like he’s unsure he’s allowed this moment of peace, and though his eyes are on the rustling blossoms ahead of him, they’re unfocused, looking towards something far beyond.</p><p>Phichit decides it’s his job to bring him back.</p><p>“I can’t use any of these, Yuuri!” he says, tacking on a small whine at the end. “We’ve been at this all afternoon and it’s like I’m cursed to sneeze in every photo!”</p><p>Yuuri turns to him, quiet laughter in his expression, and Phichit takes a picture. It’s perfect, with Yuuri’s soft smile and perfect hair lit up in the ideal amount of natural daylight, cherry blossoms framing him beautifully.</p><p>“I wish I didn’t have allergies,” Phichit says, then sniffles, entirely because of said allergies and not at all for pity.</p><p>Yuuri laughs again. “Come on,” he says, pushing himself off the railing. “Let’s get back. We can look through them all again at dinner and find one you can post.”</p><p>Phichit doesn’t find a flattering one over dinner, but it works out anyway.</p><p><em> The difference between @katsuki-yuri’s photography skills and mine</em>, he posts, his cross-eyed, scrunched-nose photo a stark contrast to the beautifully-framed shot of Yuuri.</p><p>Viktor comments almost immediately, just a long string of exclamation points and sparkling hearts, and Phichit grins to himself about how shamelessly in love Viktor Nikiforov is with Katsuki Yuuri.</p><p>Later, after hours of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on Yuuri’s bed watching dumb videos just like they were in college again, Plisetsky texts Phichit.</p><p>
  <em> Boarding now, how’s he ACTUALLY holding up? </em>
</p><p>Apparently Plisetsky had seen Phichit’s post and not even liked it. Rude.</p><p>Phichit snaps a subtle photo of Yuuri half-off the bed, face smushed against the floor but legs still wrapped in blankets on the bed. He’d gradually slid into that position through the evening, sinking in time with his mood. <em> See for yourself</em>, Phichit messages back.</p><p><em> ...yikes </em> is all Phichit receives in return.</p><p>Yikes indeed. Clearly something is bothering Yuuri beyond Viktor’s delayed trip to Japan, but Phichit knows by now that the less he pushes, the sooner he'll hear about it.</p><p>As it turns out, Phichit doesn’t have to wait much longer at all.</p><p>“Phichit-kun,” Yuuri says not long after settling properly on the floor, laptop away and lights out.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“What if… I mean, do you think…” he trails off, curling into a small ball, face pressed into his hands.</p><p>Phichit waits silently, giving Yuuri space to find the words.</p><p>“It’s just… what if he wants nothing to do with me? Now that I’m retiring, I mean.”</p><p>Phichit jerks upright. He realizes a moment too late that the sudden movement may startle Yuuri even more, but Yuuri’s already spiraling on his own, no assistance needed.</p><p>“What if all he ever wanted was to stay in skating, and I was that in? And I took competition from him for a while, but at least I could keep him connected to it, but now... Now what am I to him?”</p><p>“Yuuri, no—”</p><p>“—and he left almost as soon as he could to fly back and pack my stuff up for me because he didn’t want to tell me, it would just be easier for him to fly home anyway and have all of my stuff sent back here without—”</p><p>“Yuuri!” Phichit’s on the floor now, too, eye level with Yuuri, whose wide eyes look soft and scared without glasses to hide behind, even in the low light. Phichit places a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, telegraphing the motion before he does. He intends to ground, not restrain.</p><p>Yuuri breathes deep and steady for a moment before speaking again. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>Yuuri exhales, this time in exasperation, then tries again. “I’m worried.”</p><p>“Better,” Phichit says. “But also, stop being a dummy.”</p><p>“Huh?” Yuuri pulls away, blinking confusedly.</p><p>“Yuuri, listen,” Phichit starts, “this is the man who sends flowers to you in hotel rooms you’re sharing together. He writes love letters to you in Instagram comments. He once called me crying because he tried to cook your favorite meal and messed up so bad he was scared you’d leave him for being worthless. And don’t even get me <em> started </em> about Pyeongchang!” Yuuri opens his mouth to protest, but Phichit just keeps going. “No. Yuuri. Listen to me. Remember when he dropped out of Russian Nationals his final year of skating when he heard your sister was sick just so <em> you </em> wouldn’t have to drop out of <em> your </em> Nationals to help out the onsen during a busy season? I mean, come on, he flew out here because Mari had a <em> cold </em>. Does that sound like glory chasing to you?”</p><p>“I mean, maybe—”</p><p>“Nuh-uh,” Phichit cuts off. He shakes his head back and forth for emphasis, strands of his hair bouncing over his face. “No <em> maybe </em> anything. He’s ridiculously in love with you and you know it.”</p><p>Yuuri looks down shyly, a hint of a smile on his face. He keeps that dreamy, far-off expression for just long enough that Phichit thinks maybe he’s okay, but then he looks up again suddenly. “But he went back to Russia without me,” he says, the doubt creeping its way back in. “I offered to go with him, but he still went without me.”</p><p>Phichit suppresses a sigh. Yeah, they’d figured this would look bad, but if Plisetsky’s text was anything to go by, in less than thirteen hours they could prove Yuuri wrong.</p><p>“Because you work too hard, so he wanted to handle a crisis without you having to worry about it.” The excuse they’d settled on in hushed corners behind Yuuri’s back had been that Viktor and Yuuri's Saint Petersburg flat would flood ever so inconveniently the day before they were to head Hasetsu, and Viktor had to fly back to assess the damage. As excuses go, it wasn’t the flimsiest, but…</p><p>“I should have gone with him. It’s my home, too. I could have helped.”</p><p>“Yuuri.” Phichit hoists himself onto the bed, flopping belly-first onto the covers with a <em> fwump</em>. “He didn’t want to take you away from your family. He knew you were looking forward to this.”</p><p>“I guess,” Yuuri says into his pillow. “But he was looking forward to it, too.”</p><p>Phichit smirks. “If you can see that, then you know he’s not trying to abandon you. Now try to sleep. I want to go to the rink early tomorrow so we can see Yuuko and the triplets.”</p><p>Yuuri whips his head up to squint at Phichit. “What?”</p><p>“They texted me earlier asking if we could go by. They’re demanding my presence, Yuuri. We can’t turn them down!”</p><p>“Of course not,” Yuuri says, “but if you expect me to wake up early, you’d better not snore.”</p><p>Phichit gasps dramatically, and Yuuri <em>cackles.</em></p><hr/><p>They leave the rink when Takeshi comes to sweep the triplets off the ice and open up for public practice. It’s earlier than Phichit had planned, but they’re both exhausted and Phichit really can’t find a convincing reason to stick around.</p><p>“They’ll be the first set of siblings to take each spot on the podium all at once,” Yuuri says of the triplets, somewhere between awestruck and terrified.</p><p>“More like the first ever triples skaters,” Phichit says. “They work so well with each other.” The <em> and only with each other </em> is left off the end. Phichit has a Loop-sized bruise forming on his back from his failed attempt at pair skating with her. Yuuri had fared slightly better, but the girls still wanted to hang off his shoulders like they had when they were little, and he’d gone face-first on the ice under their weight pretty quickly.</p><p>Yuuri laughs a little. “Yeah, that, too.” He checks his watch, then frowns. “We still have a lot of time before meeting with Yuuko again. We can head back to use the baths before if you want.”</p><p>“Hm,” Phichit says noncommittally. Yuuko had run out almost as soon as they got to Ice Castle with a flimsy excuse to Yuuri about errands to run, but Phichit knew better.</p><p><em> They landed late</em>, she’d texted him not ten minutes ago. <em> Back in two hours. </em></p><p>With time to fill, Phichit grasps.</p><p>“Can we go to the beach first? But not to swim! ” he adds when Yuuri turns an incredulous look his way. “I think my arms are too jelly for that, anyway. But I’d love to get pictures, and it’s on our way back, right?”</p><p>“Sure, but we really should have gone this morning. It’s prettiest at sunrise.”</p><p>“Right, because you were so willing to wake up before sunrise this morning.”</p><p>Yuuri snorts <em> loud</em>, and Phichit breaks into giggles. “I mean!” Yuuri says, slapping his hands over his face as if he can smother the sound.</p><hr/><p>Phichit managed to kill over an hour at the beach taking pictures of cool pieces of driftwood he found, then another grabbing a late lunch, but Yuuko texted again saying they needed another half an hour to finish setting up.</p><p>It’s a shame he’s not as sneezy today as he was yesterday, or he would fill more time complaining about allergies.</p><p>Phichit flicks his gaze up to Yu-Topia Katsuki, which they are rapidly nearing far too soon, then back to Yuuri, who's walking swiftly ahead of him. </p><p>“Phichit-kun, you’re going to be here for two more weeks, we don’t have to fit it in all in one day!”</p><p>“But Yuuri!” Phichit says, and yeah, he really has no excuse, but Yuuko had asked him to keep Yuuri occupied, so he has to at least <em> try</em>.</p><p>Yuuri turns to face him. “You can stay out if you want,” he starts, “but I’m really not up for anything else right now. Can you just meet me out front when you’re ready to meet with Yuuko?”</p><p>Phichit winces internally. “I’m sorry, Yuuri, but just, like, thirty minutes? Can we stay out for thirty more minutes?”</p><p>“Why? I really don’t see why.” He moves to turn just as Phichit catches a flash of blond hair in the distance.</p><p>“Because!” He grabs Yuuri’s shoulder to keep him from turning. Behind Yuuri, Plisetsky freezes, then turns to gesture frantically at someone else still in the entryway. </p><p>“Because?”</p><p>“Because, ah…”</p><p>Phichit sees Yuuko peek around the corner to grab Plisetsky just as Yuuri turns to begin walking back, but it’s too late.</p><p>“Yurio?”</p><p>Plisetsky freezes again, then turns to look at Yuuri. They stare at one another for a long moment before Plisetsky jumps into action, and all Phichit can do is watch.</p><p>“All right, motherfucker, let’s go!” Plisetsky yells as he marches from the entryway to Yu-Topia to Yuuri.</p><p>“Hey, what—!”</p><p>“Nope!” Plisetsky says, snatching Yuuri’s arm as he tries to maneuver away. “You are not ruining this for him!”</p><p>“Ruining? Ruining what?”</p><p>“<em>Nothing! </em>”</p><p>“Yurio—”</p><p>“Now, Yurio,” Phichit hears from the entryway where Viktor has suddenly manifested. “There’s no need to drag him around! Let him come in!”</p><p>“You made me your watchdog and now you’re just going to let him in?”</p><p>“Well, you did a horrible job of watching!” Viktor says with a huge, false smile. “He’s already here, so you may as well give it up.”</p><p>Plisetsky scoffs and releases Yuuri, who takes a single step forward.</p><p>“Viktor?" Yuuri tilts his head to one side. "I thought you weren’t getting in until tomorrow.”</p><p>Viktor’s smile softens into something more genuine. “I wanted to surprise you,” he says. “It’s not ready yet, but…” he extends a hand to Yuuri.</p><p>“Gross,” Phichit hears from Plisetsky as Viktor pulls Yuuri in to kiss his forehead.</p><p>Viktor leads them all into the house, up and around to the banquet room that’s been closed off since Phichit and Yuuri arrive the morning before. He slides the door open gently to reveal Mari and Hiroko in one corner pinning up a small banner, with a small table in front of them stacked with scrapbooks and a display case. Beside Phichit, Yuuko smiles while Plisetsky pulls a face of disgust. Yuuri stands frozen in front of them.</p><p>“What… what’s all this?” Yuuri asks after a quiet moment.</p><p>“It was meant to be a celebration of your career, but, well…” Viktor smiles a little awkwardly.</p><p>Yuuri says nothing, taking in the half-finished room, then looks up at his mother and sister. He says something in soft, quick Japanese to them that Phichit doesn’t quite catch, but Hiroko nods and smiles warmly, and one corner of Mari’s mouth twists into a smirk. Yuuri exhales, then turns to Phichit.</p><p>“You knew, too?”</p><p>Phichit can’t help but grin. “Of course!”</p><p>Yuuri shakes his head with a soft grin, then turns back to Viktor, who ushers them further into the room.</p><p>They spend some time there, the whole group of them, looking through albums that Hiroko and Minako made of Yuuri’s childhood, then the ones Phichit made of their time in Detroit, then the less-than-flattering one Plisetsky made of Yuuri’s first year in Saint Petersburg.</p><p>They flip through the pages, all gathered around the small table, and the group huddles closer together as more people arrive: first Toshiya, who leans in behind Hiroko; then Minako, who steals Yuuri from the huddle to squeeze him into a tight hug; then finally Takeshi and the triplets, Takeshi snug to Yuuko and a triplet each attaching herself to Yuuri, Viktor, and Plisetsky.</p><p>Finally they reach an album Viktor made, moments over the years ranging from their first Grand Prix banquet to their wedding to Yuuri’s most recent win at Worlds, until they reach a page in the middle of the book outlined in Russian script but without a photo on the page. Yuuri reaches out hesitantly, laying fingertips over the center where the photo is clearly meant to be. As he does so, Viktor unwinds himself from Yuuri and pulls away from the group.</p><p>“Yuuri.” It comes out airy, and Viktor shakes his head before starting again. “Yuuri, I can’t begin to describe how incredible it’s been to be your competitor and coach. There are few greater honors in the world. But,” he says, then reaches into his coat pocket, “I can think of one greater honor still.” He opens his hand, revealing a small blue box inside open to reveal a silver band inside. “Would you do me the honor of marrying me? Again?”</p><p>Yuuri stares in disbelief, unmoving for a long moment, before finally speaking into the silence.</p><p>“Vitya. Of <em> course</em>.”</p><p>Viktor grins and blinks away tears, pulling Yuuri close as the room cheers as if they hadn’t all attended their <em> first </em>wedding.</p><p>“Oh, thank god,” Viktor says as he sways back and forth with Yuuri in his embrace.</p><p>Yuuri laughs. “Did you think I’d say no?”</p><p>“He did!” Plisetsky butts in before Viktor has a chance to speak. “Wouldn’t shut up about it the whole time we were gone!”</p><p>Viktor narrows his eyes at him over Yuuri’s head, but otherwise says nothing, because Minako takes that moment to pop open a bottle of champagne.</p><p>Phichit thinks it’ll be strange, hovering on the outskirts of this family that isn’t his own while he finds himself celebrating his best friend’s marriage a second time, but he finds himself comfortable in the small crowd brought together over their Yuuri. And it doesn’t take long for Yuuri himself to maneuver back to Phichit anyway.</p><p>“How much of this were you a part of?” Yuuri asks as he approaches, leaving Viktor to bother Plisetsky on his own for a little while.</p><p>“Oh, you <em> know </em> I was a part of all of it,” Phichit says proudly. “Viktor came to me immediately when he thought of it. I even helped pick out—” Phichit cuts himself off, gasping loud. “Wait! Let me see!”</p><p>Yuuri laughs and obliges, presenting Phichit with his hand. The usual gold wedding band has been replaced a new silver ring.</p><p>“Oh, good,” he says upon inspection. “It’s beautiful. I would have made him get you a new one if it wasn’t. He can’t leave you moping around for two days for an ugly ring.”</p><p>Phichit wins yet another Yuuri laugh.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know if there are any typos or formatting errors!</p><p>Thanks so much for reading! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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